The Prime Minister has unveiled the most far-reaching overhaul of the UK’s electoral system in more than a century, raising the prospect of smaller parties gaining a greater influence over how the country is governed.
Andy Burnham said he would contest the next general election on a manifesto promising electoral reform so that “everyone’s vote counts” — a commitment that could pave the way for proportional representation (PR).
The Liberal Democrats and the Greens have long backed electoral reform. A shift to PR could also make future “rainbow coalitions” more likely, potentially keeping the political Right out of government.
Speaking at the Labour conference, the Prime Minister — a longstanding supporter of electoral reform — said the party would pledge to “change the system” in its next manifesto.
If Labour wins another term, the proposals would amount to the biggest change to Britain’s electoral arrangements since 1918, when voting rights were first extended to some women.
Addressing delegates in Liverpool, Mr Burnham said: “We cannot succeed in the eyes of the world if we continue with the levels of political turbulence we have witnessed in recent times.
“It is always on my mind that I am the seventh prime minister in ten years. That is why I want to underpin our plan for Britain with a new approach to politics.”
He added: “We will all have failed in our public duties if we carry on as we are and open the door of No 10 to a divisive government on 30 per cent of the vote or less — and we should not do that.”
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Labour won the 2024 election under Sir Keir Starmer after securing 33.7 per cent of the vote. It was described as a “loveless landslide” and represented the lowest vote share recorded by any governing party.
Mr Burnham called on every political party to join a national commission on electoral reform, saying its findings would be put before the public.
“We will contest the next election with a manifesto commitment to change the electoral system so that everyone’s vote counts and everyone’s voice is heard,” he said.
The last proposed electoral reform to be rejected in the UK followed a 2011 referendum on whether to adopt the alternative vote system, under which voters rank candidates by preference.
When he became Prime Minister in July, Mr Burnham described himself as a “strong supporter” of electoral reform, arguing that it would encourage “more collaborative politics”.
At the party’s conference last year, he also backed the creation of a new national commission to examine electoral reform.
Mr Burnham said Labour should commit in its manifesto to introducing proportional representation for Westminster elections during the next parliamentary term.
Unlike the first-past-the-post system, PR allocates parliamentary seats in a way that more closely reflects the level of support received by each party.
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About 100 Labour MPs backed an amendment calling for an electoral reform commission when the Representation of the People Act passed through Parliament last month.
A Labour source said the Prime Minister regarded the constituency link as “critical”, arguing that it preserves the relationship between elected representatives and the communities they serve.
A national commission could assess several forms of proportional representation. Variations of the system are already used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Parliament and mayoral offices.
In Scotland, votes are for a candidate and for a party, so additional members can be elected from a list alongside constituency representatives.
In Wales, there is a closed-list PR system, with voters casting one vote for a party, and seats allocated proportionally from party lists.
In his Labour conference speech, the PM said Labour would ‘change the system’ in its next manifesto
In the recent Greater Manchester mayoralty – where Mr Burnham was previously mayor – voters were given a first and second choice.
Polling of MPs by YouGov suggests the change is supported by a majority in the Commons. Of those polled, 53 per cent of MPs said they supported a review into first-past-the-post.
Recent polls have predicted a hung parliament in which Labour only just emerges as the largest party.
However, not all of Mr Burnham’s colleagues appeared to be signed up to the changes.
Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith said electoral reform ‘isn’t top of my list of priorities’ when asked about the proposal.
She added: ‘Good luck to the commission. I shall be interested with what it comes out with.’
Former Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn also suggested he was unsure about electoral reform, saying: ‘We’ll see what the Commission on Electoral Reform produces.’
Darren Hughes, of the Electoral Reform Society, said: ‘The last general election saw the biggest mismatch in British history between the votes people cast and the seats parties won.
‘This is largely due to the fact that our outdated two-party voting system can’t cope with the multi-party politics we now have, and is throwing up increasingly distorted and unstable results.
‘Simply put, bringing in a system of proportional representation would mean Parliament better reflects how the country voted by making sure seats match votes.’
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